


One Call Away

by questionmark007



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, F/M, Implied/Referenced Underage Drinking, Luke is a good friend, Pining, Pining Luke, The Boys Are Alive, and so are Reggie and Alex, matchmaker Flynn, mentions of grief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-13
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:42:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28055583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/questionmark007/pseuds/questionmark007
Summary: Five times Julie calls Luke and one time she doesn't have to.
Relationships: Alex/Willie (Julie and The Phantoms) (background), Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 35
Kudos: 316





	One Call Away

**Author's Note:**

> My very first fic for JatP and my first fic in MONTHS. Thanks to everyone who listened to me scream about this instead of writing it. And then scream about it while writing it. This is for you!
> 
> Title is from a Charlie Puth song.

**1.**

It was nearing midnight when his phone rang. Luke grabbed his phone immediately. There were only a handful of people who _called_ him. Two of them (his parents) were asleep down the hall, leaving only his bandmates as the options for who was on the other end of the line. Glancing at the contact photo as he swipes to accept the call, he smiles.

Julie.

It wasn’t like her to call him this late.

Or at least it didn’t used to be.

She had been calling him more lately, at all hours and, honestly, Luke couldn’t say that he minded all that much.

“Jules?” He asked softly, not wanting to risk waking his parents.

“Hey, I—do you have a second?” She sounded distracted. Luke sat up straighter, glancing around the room for his shoes in case he needed to go to her.

“Always, Jules. You know that.” His voice was soft for an entirely different reason now.

“What was that documentary you said you watched with your dad that made you fall asleep?”

Luke paused, halfway through putting his shoes on. “What?”

“You remember a few weeks ago, you mentioned watching something that, like, immediately put you to sleep?” She repeated. She still sounded distracted and Luke was now concerned.

“I—I think it was about World War Two?” He wracked his brain trying to remember. It had been so dull. And the narrator’s voice had droned so much that Luke had passed out within ten minutes. “It was on Netflix… I can check my dad’s queue if you want.” Luke reached for his laptop.

“Ooh, here it is, World War II in Color?” she asked.

“Yeah, that’s it!” Luke confirmed, scrolling through his dad’s Netflix. “Having trouble sleeping, Jules?”

“Yeah,” she admitted softly.

He waited for her to continue.

“I just can’t seem to get my brain to turn off.” She sighed after a moment. “I’m hoping watching something boring will help.”

“If you want something a bit less depressing than a war documentary, I know Alex watches Bob Ross when his anxiety is keeping him up.” Luke suggested, navigating to YouTube to find a video to send her.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah, here,” he copies and pasted a link into the message box on his computer. “I’m sending you one.”

He heard the opening music and Bob Ross greet the camera from through her phone, so he hit _play_ himself to watch along with her. Luke wouldn’t consider himself an expert on anxiety by any means, and most of his experience with not being able to sleep because his brain was too active was because he had so many lyrics running through his head. But he knew when things were bad for Alex, or Reggie, often all they really wanted was to know they weren’t alone. And that Luke could do.

They watched Bob explain the painting of the day and begin his demonstration for a few minutes in silence.

Finally, Julie spoke, her voice so quiet Luke had to push the phone closer to his ear to hear her. “The anniversary of mom’s death is coming up.”

“Jules…” Luke’s heart seized like it always did when Julie mentioned her mom. He wanted to help but he didn’t know how.

“I just really miss her.” Julie admitted. Luke hummed quietly, not sure of what to say. His relationship with his own mother wasn’t exactly similar to Julie’s.

“I know, Jules,” He sighed, wracking his brain. “Maybe…if you want, we can listen to some of the songs she recorded?”

“I think she’d like that.” Julie murmured. She was quiet for a long time as Bob Ross painted happy little trees. Luke thought she must have fallen asleep but just as he was getting ready to hang up to go to sleep himself, she spoke: “this is nice. I see why Alex likes it.” She yawned and Luke grinned.

  
“It is.” He agreed. She made a noise of agreement before yawning again and Luke eventually heard her breathing even out as she fell asleep.

“Night, Jules” he whispered before ending the call and falling asleep himself.

**2.**

Luke groaned, slamming his face against his calculus textbook.

He had been trying to study for this _stupid_ exam all night (with only the occasional music break) and if he had to read any more about _integrals_ or _derivatives_ , he was going to hit his _limit_ (calculus pun not intended… mostly).

But he had to pass this class, or his mother would kill him.

His phone rang and Luke was almost giddy with the distraction. Even more so when he saw the curly brown hair of the contact photo.

Julie.

He swiped to answer, grinning. “Hey, Jules.”

“I need your help and I need you to not make a big deal to of it” Julie said all in a rush, not bothering with a greeting.

“I—okay?” Luke sat forward, listening.

“Nick’s car broke down and I need you to come pick us up” she explained. Except not really, because that just left Luke with _more_ questions.

“Nick? The early-Bieber wannabe from school? What happened to his car? Where are you?” Luke was grabbing his keys. “Are you safe?”

“See, this is making a big deal out of it.” Julie huffed and Luke rolled his eyes.

“Actually, I think all of those questions are reasonable.” Luke defended.

“’Early-Bieber wannabe?’” Julie shot back quietly, which Luke assumed was so that the boy in question wouldn’t overhear.

“I stand by that. Alex’s sister used to be obsessed with him. Had posters everywhere. The hair, I’m telling you, its identical.” Luke slid his window open and swung his legs over the sill.

“I’m going to hang up and send you my location.” Julie informed him, but he could hear the smile in her voice. He stuck his phone in his pocket and continued his descent through his window and onto the tree just outside of it.

He landed on the ground as his phone pinged with her location.

He made it to them in record time (because there was no traffic, if Julie asked, most certainly _not_ because he was speeding. He would _never!)_

He pulled up behind a tow truck that was loading what Luke assumed to be Nick’s car.

Julie slid into the passenger seat almost immediately while Nick spoke to the tow guy.

“Thank you for coming.” Julie smiled at him. “Also _please_ be nice; Nick is super embarrassed about this.”

“Best behavior,” Luke promised. “Scout’s honor.”

“You were never a Scout,” Julie rolled her eyes at him. He was saved having to come up with a clever reply (something like “prove it”) by Nick climbing into the backseat of the car.

“Hey, man,” Nick clapped him on the shoulder. “Thanks for coming. It’s been a night.”

“No problem.” Luke told him, glancing at Julie, who was staring determinedly straight ahead. “Uh—so where am I taking you?”

Nick gave him his address, which Luke plugged into his phone GPS and they were off.

The ride to Nick’s house was silent, with the exception of the radio. Luke kept glancing at Julie, but she seemed determined to not look at him.

Finally, they pulled up in front of Nick’s house.

“Thanks again, man,” Nick said, unbuckling his seatbelt. “I really appreciate it.”

  
“No worries,” Luke assured him. “You saved me from calculus.”

“Oh, dude, calc is the _worst_!” Nick groaned in agreement, climbing out of the car.

“Why didn’t you call his parents?” Luke asked, watching Nick disappear into the house.

Julie shrugged: “His parents are out of town at some conference. They just told him to tow it to a mechanic and they’d deal with it later.”

“That’s helpful.” Luke snorted, starting the drive to Julie’s house, which was just a few streets over. Julie hummed in agreement. Luke waited a moment before asking, “And why didn’t you call Ray?”

“He didn’t answer.” She said simply. Luke shot her a look. Ray Molina not being there when his daughter needed him was practically unheard of. She noticed his stare and continued. “I think he lost his phone somewhere in the house and just didn’t hear it ring.”

That made sense. Ray was notorious for losing everything. 

“We thought about an Uber,” she continued, “but the tow guy was giving me the creeps and I figured you’d be faster.”

Luke tried to control his face from breaking out into a grin.

She wanted _him._

Sure, he wished it was under better circumstances than a creepy dude, but he’d take what he could get, okay?

“I _did_ make pretty good time,” Luke smirked.

“Because you don’t understand what a _speed limit_ is.” Julie shot back.

“How dare you!” Luke gasped in mock outrage. “Those are pretty bold words for someone who doesn’t have their license.” They pulled up in front of her house.

“Why should I get my license when I know you’ll come get me if I need a ride?" She smiled at him and Luke swore his heart skipped a beat. Before his brain could reboot and he could come up with a coherent response, she was out of his car and halfway to her front door. 

**3.**

He’s walking into the Molina’s garage for their afternoon band practice when his phone rings. Reggie and Alex are already there, and Julie is… she’s the one calling him so Luke answers as quickly as he can.

“Hey Julie, we’re ready when you are.” Luke says, nodding at Reggie and Alex by way of greeting.

  
“I did something dumb and I need your help.” Julie tells him.

“Okay? Do I need to bring a shovel? Gloves? I think my dad just got a new tarp…” Luke sees the concerned expressions on Reggie’s and Alex’s face as they both get up and make their way towards him.

“What?” Julie chuckles. “No, I fell asleep on the bus and now I’m stranded in downtown… If I needed help getting rid of a body, I’d call Flynn.”

“As glad as I am that you haven’t killed anyone,” Luke turned to leave the garage, Reggie and Alex following close behind, “I’m a little offended I wouldn’t be your first call if you did.”

“Yeah, Julie!” Reggie piped up. Luke tapped the speakerphone function to make things easier. “We’d be great accomplices!”

“Luke can’t be in the same room as a spider,” Julie started. “Alex gets grossed out around raw meat, and Reggie, you cry any time there is an animal in a commercial. Explain how that would make you good criminals?”

“The raw meat thing is residual trauma from food poisoning!” Alex exclaimed, indignant. “You know that!”

“You should really be nicer to people you’re asking for favors, Jules” Luke advised as he unlocked his car. “We might not come get you now.”

Julie snorted. “Please, you three are already in the car and buckled in, even though I haven’t told you where I am yet.”

Luke glanced at Alex and Reggie, both of whom _were,_ in fact, buckling their seatbelts as they shared a look at being found out.

“I think that just proves how good friends we are!” Luke said. “You said you needed help and we’re ready before you could even give us all the details!”

Julie took a deep breath.

“I can hear you rolling your eyes.” Luke called, making her snort.

“Okay, I’m hanging up to send you my location.” Julie told them. “I’m waiting at a coffee shop, so, Alex: text me your orders and, Luke: please go the speed limit.”

“Can’t hear you, hanging up, see you soon!” Luke half-yelled as quickly as he could, ending the call.

He started in the general direction of downtown and his phone pinged with Julie’s location.

“I don’t know what she’s talking about,” Reggie piped up from the backseat. “We’d be amazing criminals.”

**4.**

Despite being the frontman of a band (or… _co-_ frontperson? Since he now shared the role with Julie), Luke was never really one for parties.

He didn’t mind them, but he was much more comfortable onstage, playing for people, rather than lost in a sea of people, drunkenly dancing.

But Reggie had begged him and Alex to come and Julie said Flynn was dragging her so… Luke figured there could be worse ways to spend a Friday night.

Even if he hadn’t seen Julie since they got there, or if Reggie had totally ditched him to flirt with some girl, or if Alex and Willie hadn’t left the dancefloor in the last hour.

His friends were happy, so he was happy to just stand in corner, drinking a bottle of water, people watching and playing games on his phone, until they were ready to go.

Which is why he answered the phone the moment it started to ring.

“Julie?” He asked, quickly realizing it would be impossible to hear each other over the noise of the party. He was near a sliding glass door, so he opened it and slipped into the backyard. There were still people in the backyard, but it was significantly quieter than the house.

“LUKE!” She sounded thrilled and more than a little tipsy. “You are not here, and you should be here.”

“We’re at the same party, Jules.” Luke smiled, looking through the glass doors at the people in the living room, trying to see if he could catch a glimpse of her.

“You’re here, but you’re not _here._ ” She repeated. “You should be with me. Duh.”

“Well, where are you?” Luke asked. Her end of the phone sounded quieter too, so Luke started glancing around at the other people in the backyard.

“On some steps,” She supplied helpfully. “I think the front steps, but this house is so big.”

And Luke was off, making his way around the truly massive perimeter of the house and finding several other exterior doors with steps, but none with Julie. Finally, he made it to the front of the house and, sure enough, there she was, sitting on some steps.

“There she is!” He grinned, putting his phone away and making his way toward her.

“Luke!” She beamed at him and Luke had to catch himself from tripping over his own feet.

“I thought you were with Flynn tonight?” Luke asked, sitting next to her.

“Flynn left. She wasn’t feeling well.” Julie explained, leaning into his side. “But she didn’t want to ruin the night for me. I told her I’d be fine. I knew you were here.”

Luke nodded and handed her his half-drunk bottle of water. “Here, you should drink this.”

“See? I told Flynn you’d take care of me!” Julie turned and beamed at him again and Luke tried to remind himself that this wasn’t real. She wasn’t in her right mind.

But she was right. He would take care of her.

But he also felt like he needed to change the subject.

“So, why was Flynn so set on you being at this party?” Luke asked. For the last week, Flynn had been hell-bent on Julie coming to this party. Which Luke didn’t understand, but he was also trying to be better at “boundaries.”

“Flynn said I needed to go out to get my mind off…” She shook her head and took a long sip of water. “Never mind.”

God, this was like the dream box all over again. Back when Julie first joined the band, and they were rehearsing at her studio, he had let his curiosity get the better of him and ended up poking around the house. Which led to poking around her room. Which led to finding her dream box. Which led to Luke getting (rightfully) yelled at by Julie.

But he couldn’t help it, okay? He was curious by nature and giving him a piece of the puzzle just made him want the whole thing.

His inner battle of deciding if he was going to ask Julie more about what she needed to get her mind of off, or if he was going to _mind his own business_ was cut short by Julie speaking again:

“Flynn keeps telling me I need to get out there. Date more. I dunno, though. It feels like a lot of work, ya know?” She leaned her head on his shoulder and Luke was sure that if Julie was sober, she would be saying none of this.

At least not to him.

He was so out of his depth here. So, he figured, he’d take a page out of Reggie’s book and try to make a joke.

“Yeah, I get that.” He nodded. “Between Nick’s car breaking down and having to call the tow truck _and_ me, that’s a lot for one evening.”

Julie giggled. “That was not a date. But it was a lot of work.” She sighed and closed her eyes. “Ugh, being around anyone who isn’t my family, Flynn or the band is so much work.”

Luke nodded, not sure of what to say. He swallowed before finally saying, “Don’t stress about it, Jules. Anyone would be lucky to have you.”

“I don’t need anyone, though.” Julie somehow leaned further into him. “I have you.”

_Yeah,_ Luke thought, _you do._

**5.**

It was a rare Sunday afternoon when the band didn’t have practice. Not for lack of trying though, Luke had done everything he could think of to come up with a reason to schedule practice, but he had been outvoted. Alex had a date with Willie, Reggie had been invited to go with Ray to Carlos’s baseball game, and Julie… truth be told, Luke didn’t know where Julie was, but he assumed she and Flynn were having some sort of ‘girl day’, so Luke resigned himself to sitting in the Molina’s studio, alone, practicing and writing songs.

It used to be one of his favorite things, writing songs. And it still was one of his favorite things to do. Just not alone. Not anymore.

Not since Julie joined the band.

Writing was better with her.

_Everything_ was better with her.

It was like he couldn’t even write a song without her anymore. He had been sitting staring at a blank page for two hours, willing himself to write but… he was stuck…

He hated it.

So, when his phone rang, Luke didn’t even look to see who was calling to put him out of his misery of _not_ writing this song before he answered.

“Talk to me!”

“Luke—” Julie’s voice broke and his heart stopped.

“Julie? What’s wrong? Where are you?” Luke jumped to his feet, leaving his guitar on the couch and was halfway to the door of the garage before she answered.

“I’m okay.” She choked out. “I just need a ride.”

“I’m on my way, Jules.” Luke promised, jogging to his car and thanking the universe that Alex had made him fill up his gas tank yesterday. “Where are you?”

“I—I already sent you my location?” she sounded unsure, but Luke tapped at his phone a few times and saw he did have a text from Julie with her location pin.

“Yeah, I see it, Julie. I’m on my way.” Luke assured her as he started the car. They were silent for a few moments as he navigated through her neighborhood. He tried to make his voice as calm and level as possible, despite the panic he was feeling. “Do you want to stay on the phone with me while I drive?”

It took her a moment to respond.

“I’m okay, I promise.” Julie sounded anything but _okay_. “I’m just a little upset.”

_That’s not okay, Julie_ , Luke wanted to say. But that wouldn’t help anything.

So, he tried a different tactic:

“Okay, let’s play a game then?” He offered. She didn’t respond so he continued. “Tell me five things you can see.”

He heard Julie take a deep breath. “Umm…grass…trees…a flag on a flagpole…cars…the sidewalk…”

“Great, that’s five!” Luke nodded. “I see cars too, and a dog peeing, a bakery, and a yellow light... oops!”

“Luke!” Julie groaned.

“That was only four!” Luke protested, smiling. “I also see a telephone pole!”

“Eyes on the road, Patterson,” Julie told him. “When did you learn Alex’s grounding technique for panic attacks?”

“Who do you think taught it to him?” Luke boasted.

  
“His therapist,” Julie deadpanned.

“Okay, so you’re right.” Luke conceded. “But I memorized it as soon as he told us about it! It’s come in handy over the years.” 

Julie hummed in response and they were silent for a few minutes, except for the voice of his phone telling him to make turns.

Finally, it told him to take a left into… a cemetery…

_Oh, shit._

“Uhh… Julie? I think I’m here.” He broke the silence as he made the turn, spotting her a little way into the cemetery, standing near the road.

He pulled up next to her and jumped out of the car, barely remembering to put it in park.

“Julie,” he breathed as he made his way towards her. She looked smaller than she had in months, more like the Julie who hadn’t played music in a year when they had first met. Even if he hadn’t just been on the phone with her, he could tell she had been crying and, for the first time in his life, he didn’t want to run from tears. He stretched out his arms and she practically launched herself at him. Luke wrapped her up in a hug and they stood like that for several, long moments.

Julie loosened her grip on him and leaned away, her hands going to grip his forearms like a lifeline.

“I haven’t been here since the funeral,” she admitted quietly, looking off in the distance to where, Luke could only assume, her mother’s grave was. “I haven’t been able to make myself come… but with the anniversary coming… it seemed like I should, you know?”

Luke didn’t.

He had never experienced loss like Julie had, but that wasn’t important here.

So Luke just nodded, rubbing little circles on her arms with his thumbs.

“And I did! I came and… it was a lot harder than I thought it would be.” She admitted, still not looking at him. “It was harder than going in the studio for the first time. Or going back to school after…”

“I’m proud of you,” Luke said softly. Her eyes shot to his immediately. “I wouldn’t be able to do any of what you’ve done.”

She rolled her eyes at him, but Luke could tell she was fighting a smile. She gave him another hug before saying:

“I was a bit of a mess, earlier. I didn’t think I’d be able to get home on my own.” She glanced at him, almost shy.

"Why didn't you call your dad?" Luke blurted, regretting the words as he was saying them. What did it matter why she didn’t call Ray? Julie _had_ called him. Julie had been calling him. Why would he say something to jeopardize that?

Julie paused, taking a deep breath. "I just . . . I needed you." She looked up at him, certain, and Luke felt his heart swell.

He gave her a lopsided smile to try to downplay the mess of emotions he was actually feeling. "I'm always here for you, Jules. You know that."

She smiled at him and nodded.

**+1**

Things have been…different… with Luke since the cemetery.

Not bad, by any means, but _different_. It felt more like they were moving towards something.

They were more in-tune than usual, which was saying something because she and Luke were normally already on the same brainwave with anything music-related.

Which made it significantly harder to get over her massive crush on him.

Flynn had been trying for weeks to help Julie get over Luke, but nothing worked.

She tried hanging out with Nick to see if she could like _him_ again. She tried staying late at school to join other clubs to meet other people. She even tried going to a party to take her mind off of him.

None of it worked.

In fact, it had the opposite effect.

It just made her like Luke more because throughout all of it, he was the one next to her and Flynn was getting more and more exasperated with her.

Finally, Flynn had made her a deal: go on one blind date that Flynn would set up, and Flynn would let the “getting over Luke” thing drop.

Julie agreed, because what did she have to lose? 

So now, here she was, sitting in a coffee shop, waiting for (according to Flynn) “a very cute boy in a magenta shirt”.

She took a sip of her iced coffee only to almost spit it out when she saw who walked through the door of the shop.

Luke. Wearing a…magenta shirt.

She was going to _kill_ Flynn.

Or owe her for the rest of her life.

Jury’s out.

“Luke Patterson, are you wearing _sleeves?_ ” Julie asked, incredulous, because that was easier to focus on than the possibility that _Luke Patterson_ was her date.

Luke ducked his head, embarrassed as he sat across the table from her. “Flynn texted me. Told me to ‘look presentable’ and Alex said that meant to wear this.”

Okay.

That could be a coincidence, right??

“Flynn texted you?” Julie asked.

Luke nodded and pulled out his phone to show her the text:

_Bean Beats – 4pm_

_Look presentable_

_Thank me later!!!_

Julie snorted. “And you just did it?”

“Flynn scares me.” Luke shrugged. “And she didn’t answer any of my follow-up questions so I figured it must be obvious once I got here.”

Julie nodded, grabbing her own phone and opening her conversation with Flynn.

_LUKE???_ She typed quickly.

The response was almost instantaneous:

_YOURE WELCOME_

“Well…” Julie fiddled with her straw. “On behalf of my best friend, I feel like I should apologize…”

  
“Why’s that?” Luke cocked his head and she bit back a smile.

“She made me come here for a blind date…” Julie couldn’t look at him. “And…she seems to have tricked you into being that date.”

“Oh…huh…” Luke looked thoughtful and Julie suddenly wanted nothing more than to leave, run as far away from this coffee shop and this boy as she could.

“I’m sorry.” Julie said again. “I guess you’re not the only one who needs to learn boundaries.”

Luke grinned at her joke. “I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised that Flynn beat me to asking you to go out with me.”

Julie was _sure_ she must have misheard him. “What?”

Luke leaned back in his chair, trying to be casual in a way that Julie knew to mean he was actually really nervous. “I’ve been trying to figure out how to ask you out for a while. Or really, if it was even a good idea or if it’d mess everything up.” He paused and she caught his eye, giving him what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “I should’ve figured Flynn would get tired of waiting for me to get my shit together and take matters into her own hands.”

“Patience isn’t her thing.” Julie agreed, reaching across the table to take one of Luke’s hands. “For the record, if you asked me out, I’d say yes.”

Luke beamed at her and squeezed her hand. “Julie, would you go out with me?”

Julie laughed: “Yes, Luke. I’d love to go out with you.”

“Does right now work?” Luke asked, hopeful. “All I have to do later is texting Flynn ‘thank you’.”

“Good call,” Julie nodded. “She’s never going to let us live this down. And yes, right now works great.”

“It’s a date!”

**Author's Note:**

> What'd you think?
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [itsjuliemolina](https://itsjuliemolina.tumblr.com/)


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